Football Insider say it's Mowbray.

[SAFC Wilks]

Dragging our feet again when everyone knows its Mowbray. May aswel have announced it after the game on Saturday and crack on with signings.

Great post mate

Agree with this like, it’s been fairly obvious it’s Mowbray from the off.

Maybe we asked to speak to Manning but couldn’t agree compensation with MK Dons, but I reckon Mowbray was number 1 target from the off. And he’s apparently very keen so let him crack on.

 

[kingkeane]

A few Bournemouth fans want Mowbray.

 

[Howard the Duck]

If I’ve said he has nothing that suits him then I may overstated the point because I think you could probably point to any manager who has had a nigh on 20 year career and say they’ve developed youth at some point. The same arguments were made for Lee Johnson and I wasn’t convinced of those either. If either of those candidates had delivered some form of success with genuinely youthful sides I might be convinced of this but I can’t imagine a single poster, prior to Lee Johnson or Tony Mowbray links to SAFC, identifying either of those as coaches with a really good reputation for developing young players and achieving success with them.

The main reason I think it is a marriage of convenience is because it’s a third consecutive appointment that fits the bill. It’s the third manager we’ve appointed that had recently left mid-table championship clubs and who were readily available. I don’t think any of these appointments have been carefully selected candidates that are a product of good, data informed, succession planning (as Speakman has claimed is in place). That’s supposedly the model across all departments of the club and I’m just not convinced.

I’ll ask a question (albeit it’s hypothetical), if Tony Mowbray was still employed by Blackburn, do you think we’d have approached them to enquire about his availability because we’d identified him in succession planning?

Blackburn had the second youngest squad in the division last year. Mowbray has introduced a number of their Academy products in to the first team picture, has bought young players and sufficiently developed them to make significant gains (will be nigh on £30m profit on Armstrong and Bereton Diaz alone) and he’s consistently entrusted by top clubs with their young prized assets. To dismiss youth development as a strength of his in light of that seems disingenuous.

If you accept that and consider that the clubs number 1 point on their remit would be the ability to develop and add value to a young squad whilst consolidating in this league then surely he’d be coming out fairly high up on any list of potential candidates.

What do you consider the other criteria a data led approach would consider? Perhaps compatible playing styles? We’ve stated we want to play a high press so I’d imagine we’d look at teams that did that effectively and by all accounts Blackburn were towards the top of those metrics for significant periods of last season so he’s capable of setting his teams up that way if that’s the brief.

 

[walesie]

Realistic aspirations for the season are top half minimum, pushing towards playoffs. Even in defeats this season, there's been nothing in the opposition that was worthy of fear or that we could8have beaten. The red card and sheff United, the AN mess at Norwich.

I don't want consolidation with this sort of parkinson, grayson esque appointment, who's straight off the managerial merry-go-round , I want us to actually try and think outside of the box and hire a coach as young, exciting, and forward thinking as our squad. Be it Liam manning, or someone from KLDs little black book in France.

I can't see how top half is a minimum. Our 1st 11 has looked good so far but given the championship is an absolute slog, we're going to have to rely on the squad and we know we lack depth.

 

[Scotlands number 9]

I think people need to remember where we are as a club and where we have been the previous 4 seasons, don’t get me wrong Tony Mowbray isn’t my choice but he’s perfect for the next manager to cement our place in this league, just look at his 5 years at Blackburn it’s similar to our story! League one club then got them to championship then got them to 8th in his last season 6 points off the play offs building year on year developing players along the way!

I think our start has got us a bit ahead of ourselves. We looked good in all of the games and were unlucky to lose against sheff utd. It’s gave us a false sense of optimism. Survival is the aim this year anything above that is a massive bonus. I’m sure speakman him self said at a talk at the beacon at the end of the season that he’d prefer to consolidate this season than go up because the infrastructure isn’t premier league ready and that’s the focus this season.

The plan clearly is for him to steady us and they’ll move him on when they are ready to go for the next level. He will know this as well so as long as the club and Mowbray are on the same page it’s absolutely fine. Provided we don’t implode and get in a scrap!

 

[Weremuthe]

With 20/20 hindsight we could have made a move for

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3 months ago

 

[Arfa Sleep]

I can't see how top half is a minimum. Our 1st 11 has looked good so far but given the championship is an absolute slog, we're going to have to rely on the squad and we know we lack depth.

Agree with this, once the league settles down a bit we'll have a better idea of where we stand.

 

[Coeus]

His reputation for working with young players is definitely one big plus point but on the whole I think it just smacks of a stopgap appointment which goes completely against the clubs alleged long-term model. Did a canny job with Blackburn but his record suggests that he's at best a mid-table Championship manager, which on paper isn't a bad appointment at all for a club who have only just come up from League One but there's a definite ceiling as to what he's realistically likely to achieve here whereas I'd have much preferred us to go with a young, up-and-coming coach who could potentially grow with us. I can understand the argument about getting a young coach in being too much of a risk at this time but going with a so-called safe pair of hands hasn't really worked for us in the past.

My initial comparison with Parkinson is probably a tad harsh in terms of how they each see the game but feels like a similarly deflating appointment to me. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

It feels like a short-term appointment to me, to be honest, but there is no reason why you cannot make short-term coaching appointments by design or otherwise in a long-term strategy.

 

[Sea to Shining Sea]

Blackburn had the second youngest squad in the division last year. Mowbray has introduced a number of their Academy products in to the first team picture, has bought young players and sufficiently developed them to make significant gains (will be nigh on £30m profit on Armstrong and Bereton Diaz alone) and he’s consistently entrusted by top clubs with their young prized assets. To dismiss youth development as a strength of his in light of that seems disingenuous.

If you accept that and consider that the clubs number 1 point on their remit would be the ability to develop and add value to a young squad whilst consolidating in this league then surely he’d be coming out fairly high up on any list of potential candidates.

What do you consider the other criteria a data led approach would consider? Perhaps compatible playing styles? We’ve stated we want to play a high press so I’d imagine we’d look at teams that did that effectively and by all accounts Blackburn were towards the top of those metrics for significant periods of last season so he’s capable of setting his teams up that way if that’s the brief.

Fair enough. Some reasonable points there and you may well be right.

I’ll return to my hypothetical, do you reckon we’d have approached Blackburn if he was still in employment? Do you think he’s the man we’ve long identified and would be willing to prise him away from another club?

 

[Howard the Duck]

His reputation for working with young players is definitely one big plus point but on the whole I think it just smacks of a stopgap appointment which goes completely against the clubs alleged long-term model. Did a canny job with Blackburn but his record suggests that he's at best a mid-table Championship manager, which on paper isn't a bad appointment at all for a club who have only just come up from League One but there's a definite ceiling as to what he's realistically likely to achieve here whereas I'd have much preferred us to go with a young, up-and-coming coach who could potentially grow with us. I can understand the argument about getting a young coach in being too much of a risk at this time but going with a so-called safe pair of hands hasn't really worked for us in the past.

My initial comparison with Parkinson is probably a tad harsh in terms of how they each see the game but feels like a similarly deflating appointment to me. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

The whole point of the model and the reason it is considered long term and sustainable is because, if done right, you should be able to fairly seamlessly interchange head coaches. How long Mowbray may last shouldn’t impact on that.

As I state, I’d have preferred Manning too. For all we know we’ve enquired and been told he’s not moving at this stage of the season so we’ll be revisiting it in the summer and moving Mowbray into an Academy or recruitment role.

You say Mowbray’s reputation for developing youth is a plus point, from the club’s point of view it’s the biggest plus point. At the minute that’s what we’re setting out to do whilst we consolidate in this league. Whether fans are in agreement with the strategy or not, they’ve made it clear that that’s their intention.

That’s why I disagree that they’re straying from the model in this appointment. If you want to level that accusation at them then I’d say that they were more guilty of it with the appointment of Alex ‘you can’t be considered a player of worth until you have a hundred league appearances’ Neil.

 

[Coeus]

Fair enough. Some reasonable points there and you may well be right.

I’ll return to my hypothetical, do you reckon we’d have approached Blackburn if he was still in employment? Do you think he’s the man we’ve long identified and would be willing to prise him away from another club?

Are we in a position to recruit in ideals?

Could it be argued when summarising value within budget, he is high up on the list?

 

[thecloughywobble]

This may have been posted already. As with many official club statements, it may be wise to take it with a pinch of salt. Nonetheless, I find it interesting. Others might, too. Maybe not, ha, ha.

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[Sea to Shining Sea]

Are we in a position to recruit in ideals?

Could it be argued when summarising value within budget, he is high up on the list?

The entire approach of the club is very idealistic. Why shouldn’t it be the same for the head coach?

But I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Value within budget, availability and convenience appear to be high on the list of coach recruitment IMO. Not just head coach position either. Proctor and Dodds promotion to the first team coaching team appear to fit into that as well.

 

[---Nemo---]

I think our start has got us a bit ahead of ourselves. We looked good in all of the games and were unlucky to lose against sheff utd. It’s gave us a false sense of optimism. Survival is the aim this year anything above that is a massive bonus. I’m sure speakman him self said at a talk at the beacon at the end of the season that he’d prefer to consolidate this season than go up because the infrastructure isn’t premier league ready and that’s the focus this season.

The plan clearly is for him to steady us and they’ll move him on when they are ready to go for the next level. He will know this as well so as long as the club and Mowbray are on the same page it’s absolutely fine. Provided we don’t implode and get in a scrap!

He's not wrong.

 

[Howard the Duck]

Fair enough. Some reasonable points there and you may well be right.

I’ll return to my hypothetical, do you reckon we’d have approached Blackburn if he was still in employment? Do you think he’s the man we’ve long identified and would be willing to prise him away from another club?

Sorry, I read ‘hypothetical’ as ‘rhetorical’!

I think a lot of this appointment is about timing too and I think that has worked in Mowbray’s favour. Manning may not want to leave right at the end of the window having given certain assurances to players he’s bought in. Barry may be saying that he wants the opportunity to coach at a World Cup before considering a head coach role.

I still think it’s possible that they see Mowbray as a fairly short term solution so wouldn’t justify the compensation to get him out a contract. That’s not about being tight necessarily, it’s just about getting value.

That’s a round about way of saying possibly not however I still don’t think that that means that his name wouldn’t come out fairly high on our list of potentials when looking at what fits with our model.

 

[Coeus]

The entire approach of the club is very idealistic. Why shouldn’t it be the same for the head coach?

But I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Value within budget, availability and convenience appear to be high on the list of coach recruitment IMO. Not just head coach position either. Proctor and Dodds promotion to the first team coaching team appear to fit into that as well.

Yep, I wasn't particularly keen on the coaching stuff at the time, still not and that could be argued to be the case here. Although I believe costs and time planning between coaches and head coaches to be widely different.

My preference is for the club to have discovered a young chap to have the potential to be great, pretty much anything Red Bull have done, to be honest. It's something they will have to do at some point, I just don't think it's entirely fair to believe they should be that far along just yet due to budget among other stuff. If we're not at that point or believe our position requires something a bit safer, I think @Howard the Duck raises some excellent points.

 

[Sea to Shining Sea]

Sorry, I read ‘hypothetical’ as ‘rhetorical’!

I think a lot of this appointment is about timing too and I think that has worked in Mowbray’s favour. Manning may not want to leave right at the end of the window having given certain assurances to players he’s bought in. Barry may be saying that he wants the opportunity to coach at a World Cup before considering a head coach role.

That’s a round about way of saying possibly not however I still don’t think that that means that his name wouldn’t come out fairly high on our list of potentials when looking at what fits with our model.

Between the lot of us, we’ve probably all exhausted the pros and cons of the appointment. It seems inevitable he’s to be appointed and I hope he’s massively successful once in position.

Obviously I’m very sceptical about what his appointment represents I.e the process and rationale behind his appointment being one of convenience and entirely in keeping with previous appointments, but I hope that if he’s in position he’s backed with recruitment and does the business. I’m not all that keen on five years in the middle of the championship, that will soon get very tiring, so I hope he can create a side of mountain a promotion campaign in the not too distant future. The club needs it because financially there’s not much in the way of investment coming without key player sales or a premier league windfall.

 

[Rambo Pumpkins]

I think we have had our eye on Mowbray since we brought in Neil. I always get the impression that Neil was brought in as an act of desperation but they knew it wasn't going to last one way or another, and the run we went on surprised everyone and we almost didn't expect to go up.

I think Mowbray has known he is first choice for months, or at least since Harvey arrived, and it was decided to wait until he had served his contract rather than pay compensation to Blackburn, as Neil would go if we didn't go up. Getting promotion probably weirdly screwed everything up.

The fact he has been to our matches early on probably suggests the board knew how much AN was a snake or at least difficult to work with, and we would have gone berserk if we found out the club knew how it was likely to go and didn't have a plan. And one that didn't need to cost us compensation that could instead be spent on a player.

 

[The Good Sir]

The expectation under Neil was a mid table finish this season...as well as possibly for the next few...

Seems to be a lot of bashing the bloke because he's not a young unheard of/trendy/overseas type or a Sean Dyche.

Apparently us wanting championship consolidation for a couple of years after the ****show of the last 5 years is shocking .

We are at least 3-5 years away from the Premierleague man.

Even longer with a manager who'll be thrilled to death with mid table finish after mid table finish after mid table finish

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

This may have been posted already. As with many official club statements, it may be wise to take it with a pinch of salt. Nonetheless, I find it interesting. Others might, too. Maybe not, ha, ha.

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Sounds like both sides felt things had reached a natural conclusion.